🔗 Share this article

Did Sony done it again? Following the box office performance of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which brought in in excess of $600 million worldwide, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the $100 million milestone internationally, attaining a global total of over $108 million during its debut. This feature beat out the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second week in cinemas, as well as the music documentary Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring actor Jeremy Allen White ($9M).

Notable Domestic and Global Earnings

Helmed by filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a straightforward follow-up of the initial season of Chainsaw Man. It earned $18.2 million in the U.S. after a powerful $5.2 million Saturday earnings and $4.5 million Sunday take. Overseas, the MAPPA-produced movie added $14.7 million across 46 Sony markets, bringing its global earnings to $60.4 million via Sony ($43.1M abroad, $18.2 million stateside). The studio has not yet revealed its complete box office tally.

Benchmarks to Previous Anime Hits

Specialist agency a leading anime marketing group had earlier commented, comparing the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which made $34M in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 and debuted with a nearly identical $18 million in the U.S.. Reze Arc’s first weekend matches that marker, while its $108 million worldwide total currently tracks just behind that movie's $166.6M overall box office. Although it’s unlikely the Reze Arc movie will match the box office of mega hit the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a major victory for Sony.

Marketing Strategies Fuel Performance

The studio and its partner the anime streaming service Crunchyroll have successfully utilized community involvement to boost their supremacy at the anime box office. This film's advertising push launched at the Los Angeles Anime Expo in summer with a MAPPA panel, special events, and photo opportunities with Pochita, and later included a major presence at NYCC including exclusive clips, fan raffles, and additional MAPPA panels. Additionally, there was an exclusive fan screening for moviegoers and popular figures too after the last day of the gathering.

Future Prospects

2025 is a significant period for anime, and for Sony, which has one more anime film debuting this year in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.